Sesame Flour – organic and conventional grades

Protein enrichment, gluten-free reformulation and clean-label ingredient decks have pushed buyers to look well beyond the familiar plant proteins. Sesame flour is one of the more useful answers, and until recently it has been difficult to source consistently at industrial volume. That has changed.

Sesame flour, available in organic and conventional grades for bulk industrial supply.

What sesame flour actually is

Sesame flour is produced from sesame seed after the oil has been extracted. What remains is a protein-dense, finely milled powder with a mild nutty character and a pale to light golden colour, depending on whether hulled or unhulled seed is used.

Two formats matter to formulators:

• Defatted sesame flour carries the highest protein load, typically in the region of 45 to 50 percent, with low residual oil. This is the format most manufacturers choose when the objective is a protein claim or a nutritional uplift.
• Partially defatted sesame flour retains more residual oil, generally landing lower on protein but delivering more flavour and a softer mouthfeel. This suits bakery and snack applications where sensory performance leads.

Both are naturally gluten free, and both are milled to specification.

Why buyers are asking for it now

Protein density without a soy or pea declaration

Plenty of brands want a protein position but no longer want soy or pea on the front of pack. Sesame flour gives a genuinely high-protein ingredient with a different origin story and a flavour profile that behaves well in savoury and sweet formats alike.

Gluten-free and wheat substitution

Sesame flour performs as a partial wheat flour replacement in bakery and biscuit systems, contributing structure, colour and protein rather than acting purely as a bulking agent. Published work on biscuit and cookie formulations with defatted sesame flour has consistently shown workable substitution levels with an improved nutritional profile.

Functional behaviour in the process

Removing the oil raises water and oil holding capacity, which is directly useful in dough hydration, emulsion stability and extruded systems. For extrusion in particular, sesame flour blends readily with corn and rice bases to lift the protein content of the finished snack.

A by-stream with a good sustainability narrative

Sesame flour comes from the oil pressing stream. For brands building a circularity or upcycling story, that is a defensible and easily evidenced claim.

Where it fits in a commercial formulation

• Bakery and biscuits as a partial wheat flour replacement, or in gluten-free blends alongside chickpea and lentil flour
• Extruded snacks and puffs for protein enrichment of corn and rice bases
• Protein bars and balls where a nutty, non-soy protein base is wanted
• Crackers, flatbreads and crispbreads where sesame flavour is already part of the identity
• Plant-based and dairy alternative products for protein contribution and emulsion support
• Sauces, dips and halva-style confectionery where sesame is the established taste reference
• Sports and clinical nutrition powders as a blending protein alongside other plant sources

Sesame flour performs across bakery, snack, bar and plant-based categories.

The own-brand retail case

For retailers building private label ranges, sesame flour supports two positions at once. It sits comfortably in a free-from or gluten-free line, and it carries a protein message without moving to a mainstream protein ingredient that every competitor is already using.

It also works as a retail pack in its own right. The high-protein baking flour shelf is growing, and sesame flour is a genuine point of difference next to almond and coconut flour, at a materially different cost position and with a cleaner allergen story for tree nut avoiders.

Supply and specification

Full specification sheets and Certificates of Analysis are available on request, along with the standard export documentation package: Commercial Invoice, Certificate of Origin, Packing List and Weight Certificate, Certificate of Analysis, Kosher Certificate, Phytosanitary Certificate and NOP Organic Certificate where applicable.

Sourcing and quality

Tradelink International has supplied bulk food ingredients to manufacturers and retailers for over 40 years. Our approach to sesame flour is the same one we apply across our seed and specialty flour portfolio: qualified origins, audited supply partners and full documentation before the container moves.

We hold BRCGS, HACCP, ISO 9001, USDA NOP and NPOP Organic, Kosher and Halal certifications, and every supplier in our network is assessed against our internal supplier standards before approval.

Sesame flour also sits naturally alongside the rest of our range, so a single supplier can cover the specialty flour and seed elements of a formulation. That includes chickpea flour, lentil flour, amaranth flour, sesame seed, chia, flax, sunflower, pumpkin seed, quinoa, psyllium husk and vital wheat gluten, all available in organic and conventional grades.